Shadows of Almia: Now With Romance
by 20 Little Drops of Rain
Summary: When Kate Hitomi entered the Ranger School, she didn't expect it to lead to such an amazing adventure. Watch as Kate, Keith, Rhythmi, and their friends work together to keep Almia from plunging into eternal darkness. [Re-wrote the game, with more romance, and some added stuff, etc. I don't own cover image]
1. Chapter 1

**This is basically my version of Pokemon Rangers: Shadows of Almia. There's more romance, some added scenes, all that stuff. I hope you enjoy it. I don't own Pokemon. **

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Kate Hitomi sighed heavily as she looked at the Ranger School in front of her. Today, she would begin learning how to be a professional Pokemon Ranger. She smiled brightly and adjusted her spikey, twin ponytails. "Time to make my dream come true..." she whispered to herself hopefully.

There was a large shack that Kate was instructed to go to. She quickly ran up to it and knocked on the door. "Hello? I'm Kate Hitomi, the new student?" She looked around nervously. "I was told to come here befor-"

Kate was suddenly pulled into the dark shack. She shrieked in surprise and tried to pry herself from the mystery assalant's grip. The stranger let Kate go, causing her to fall on the ground.

"Welcome, young lady." The light turned on to reveal a man standing in the middle of the room. Next to him sat a little Pikachu that looked quite nervous.

Kate stood up, brushing the dirt off of her Ranger School uniform. "What's going on?"

The man chuckled as he gently pushed the Pikachu over to her. "Now, this is your Styler. Use it to capture this Pikachu." He gave her a school styler.

Holding the styler in her hand, Kate lifted it into the air and said, "Capture on!" She began to quickly draw loops around it until she had successfully captured it. "Yes!"

"Okay, good going. That's quite impressive." The man said. Then, as the Pikachu ran over to him, he began laughing creppily. "My name, it is Kaplan." Kaplan pointed to Kate. "You are now a member of our secret army, the inscrutable Team School."

"Wha?" Kate asked, confused. She scratched the back of her head in bewilderment.

Kaplan continued. "As proof of your membership, you are conferred the School Styler you just used. Together, we shall rule the world..."

"Oh, please, Mr. Kaplan!" A voice said from behind Kate. She turned to see a woman with shoulder-length auburn hair. She sent a warning glare at Kaplan. "Please don't tease my student with a silly performance like that."

Mr. Kaplan chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, sorry... The timing was just too perfect to miss." Then, he cleared his throat. "Congragulations! You've passed the Ranger School's entrance exam with flying colors!"

Kate smiled. 'Awesome!'

"That really was quite an impressive capture." Kaplan complimented.

The woman, named Ms. April, turned to her new student. "Congratulations! You've been accepted. Starting today, you are officially a student of the Ranger School." She smiled and shook Kate's hand. "I'm Ms. April. I'm your class's teacher. Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you, too, Ms. April." Kate said politely.

Ms. April motioned for her new student to follow her. "Your classmates are waiting for you. I'll show you to our class."

As Kate followed her teacher, she heard Mr. Kaplan yell, "Enjoy your school life!" and waved good-bye to him. She followed Ms. April out of the shack and into the school building just as the bell rang.

As they approached the classroom, Ms. April turned to Kate. "Wait out here, please. I'll inform the class of your arrival and then you can come in and introduce yourself." Kate nodded, and watched as Ms. April went into the classroom.

Ms. April stood in front of her class and smiled. "Sorry to keep you all waiting, class. And, good morning, everyone!"

"Good morning!" The class said in unison.

"As I mentioned yesterday, we have a new member for our class." Ms. April watched as her class responded with pleasantly surprised looks.

A male student, named Corry, turned to a red-headed boy sitting next to him. "Is it a guy? Or, a girl? Which is it?"

A girl with a bob haircut turned to a girl with puffy blonde hair. "Is the new student cute? Cool? Maybe they'll look like a celebrity!" The blonde nodded hopefully.

Ms. April held her hands up to the class. "Okay, that's enough! You can see for yourself."

Meanwhile, outside the classroom, Kate was panicking slightly. "Hi, I'm Kate Hitomi. Hi, my name's Kate. What's up? The name's Kate." Kate practiced different ways to introduce herself to her new classmates. She groaned, rubbing her face with her hands. "I'm way too nervous to do this! I only hope I don't make a fool of myself..."

"Here's our new classmate! Come on in!" Kate felt her stomach clench nervously as she heard Ms. April call for her to come into the class. She smoothed out her outfit and hair and put on her brightest, prettiest smile.

Everyone turned toward the door as Kate opened in and walked up to the front of the classroom. She stood next to Ms. April, smiling at her classmates. 'I hope everyone likes me...'

"Class, our new friend came alone to our Almia region to become a Pokemon Ranger." Ms. April started, but then, she turned toward Kate. "Oh, yes, but you should introduce yourself to our class rather than me. Let's start with your name."

Kate took a deep breath to steady herself. She smiled at her new classmates. "Hello, everybody. My name is Kate Hitomi. It's a pleasure to be here."

"Okay," Ms. April said. "our new friend is named Kate. Let's all make her feel welcome." She patted Kate on the shoulder. "I understand that she scored quite well on our entrance exam."

Before she could continue, she noticed a strange look on the red-headed boy's face as he stared at Kate. "What is it, Keith? Why the big grin?" Keith, however, didn't answer and continued to grin goofily at Kate.

Ms. April shrugged. "Anyway, we had better get you seated somewhere, Kate." She looked around until her eyes landed on the empty desk next to Keith's. "Oh, there! You can have the seat next to Keith."

"Ok." Kate said. She quickly went over to the desk and sat down. She shifted in her seat a little, feeling Keith glance over at her. 'Why is he staring at me like that?'

"Okay, that will do. That's it for treating you like a new transfer student." Ms. April said. "From now on, you're all my students, people whom I can take pride in teaching." She stepped forward. "Let's do it, everyone... Let's not fail your dreams of becoming Rangers, Operators, and Mechanics!"

The class yelled happily at this statement. "YEAH!"

Ms. April chuckled. "Okay, I'll change the class schedule specially for today. This will be a free-study class." Ms. April began to walk toward the door. Before she left, she turned to Kate. "Before I go, Kate, I need to explain something to you. It's about the School Styler you were provided before the entrance exam."

"Yes?" Kate said, turning in her chair to face her teacher.

"It's a simplified version of a Ranger's official Capture Styler. To put it simply, a Styler is a device used for befriending and capturing Pokemon." Ms. April continued. "By drawing loops around Pokemon, it conveys the Ranger's feelings of friendship to the Pokemon. When the Ranger's friendship is fully conveyed, the Pokemon is captured."

Kate nodded, taking in the information. Ms. April turned toward the girl with puffy blonde hair. "Rhythmi, can I get you to show Kate around the School, please?"

Rhythmi looked over at Kate and smiled. "I sure will!"

Ms. April nodded. "I'll be in the Staff Room. I'll leave you to it." With that, Ms. April left.

As soon as she was gone, the whole class ran over and crowded around Kate. She smiled nervously as they began asking her questions about her life before coming to the Ranger School, her family, and other things like that. Kate was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable from the attention.

Suddenly, Keith walked over to her. "Hey, new kid. I forgot your name, but how long did it take you to capture Pikachu? Like a hour?"

Kate bristled. "No. It was really easy, it only took about 10 seconds."

Rhythmi scoffed at Keith. "Keith's just being a show-off, Kate. You're better off just ignoring him." She turned Kate around so that they were facing each other. "Instead, you should be paying attention to me!" She said cheerfully. "I'm not here to become a Ranger. I want to become an Operator instead."

Rhythmi sent a smirk towards Keith. "So, when Keith becomes a Ranger, I can order him around him around like my servant!"

Keith glared at her. "As if!"

"Just joking, Keith, calm down!" Rhythmi chuckled, holding her hands up in surrender. She turned to Kate. "All right, let's get started on that tour. I'll start with the classroom."

Rhythmi went on to explain about the classroom, Ms. April, and their fellow students. She told Kate about the classroom next to their's, who's teacher was Mr. Kincaid. She held Kate's wrist. "Now, I'll show you around the rest of the school building."

They left Ms. April's classroom and went next door to Mr. Kincaid's class. Rhythmi opened the door and ushered Kate inside. "Sorry to disturb your class, Mr. Kincaid. I'm just giving the new student a tour." She turned to look at Kate. "This is the other classroom. The teacher up there in the front is Mr. Kincaid."

"How does he get his hair to stay like that?" Kate whispered to Rhythmi.

"A _ton _of hair spray." The blonde whispered back, making Kate giggle. Then, Rhythmi took her to the Library.

"Here's the Library. Also known as Keith's nap room." Rhythmi pointed to a boy in the back with blonde hair. "That boy with the mushroom haircut is Issac. He's really smart. He can usually be found here, studying." Rhythmi tapped her chin in thought. "But, sometimes, he'll dissappear somewhere..."

Next was the Upstairs Dorms.

"Our dorms are up here on the second floor." said Rhythmi. "This is where we all bunk down, coed style." She giggled. "Not in the same bedrooms, of course!"

Kate looked and noticed that on the left, there were blue chairs and on the right, pink.

Rhythmi led Kate over to a woman with light brown hair. "This is Janice. She's our caretaker, and she's like a second mother to us."

Janice smiled at the two girls. "Hello, there, Rhythmi. Who's this?"

"This is Kate. I'm showing her around the School."

"Well, then, Kate. It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled warmly at her. Kate smiled back.

After they went back downstairs, Kate went over to the basement entrance. Rhythmi stopped her. "Oh, no! Mr. Kincaid's lab is down there. We can't go down there without permission."

"Oh. Well, that sucks." Kate groaned. She was curious as to what could be down there. Instead, they headed to the Staff Room.

"This is the Staff Room. Usually, it's only the principal, Mr. Lamont, who's in here. "She pointed to the gray-haired man at the front of the Staff Room. "He's always got a happy twinkle in his eyes. He's really nice, I like him pretty well." Rhythmi nodded, smiling as she spoke.

Kate nodded. "Okay."

As they exited the Staff Room, a bell sounded. Rhythmi cracked a wide grin. "There goes the bell. We can go outside now!" She pulled Kate alongside her as she ran outside.

Once outside, Rhythmi continued her tour. "The small building to our right is the Training Room. It's where Mr. Kaplan will teach you about performing captures. Ms. Claire teaches about clearing targets in there, too."

Rhythmi pointed over to two large crates in a clearing. "That big clearing is where we can practice doing Target Clears." She looked at Kate. "That reminds me... Do you know about clearing targets?"

Kate looked confused. "No..."

"I thought so. Well, it's all right. That's what the Training Room's for. Come on." Rhythmi led Kate over to the Training Room. The two girls entered the building and looked around. "Mr. Kaplan and Ms. Claire?! Can you give us some lessons, please?"

Mr. Kaplan smirked as the two students approached him and Ms. Claire. "Hehehehe... Welcome to the inscrutable Team School's secret hideout."

'That again?' Kate thought, smiling slightly.

Ms. Claire walked over to them. "Yes, yes, we've all heard of that before!" she told Kaplan in exasperation. Then, she turned to Rhythmi and Kate. "Let's not pay any attention to Mr. Kaplan and his make-believe conspiracy."

"Oh, please don't ignore me!" Kaplan begged. "I-I'll be serious and introduce myself. My name's Mr. Kaplan, and I teach the fundamentals of capture."

Ms. Claire smiled and nodded her head in approval. "And, I'm Ms. Claire. Glad to meet you. It's my job to teach you about performing Target Clears."

Then, Ms. Claire lanched into her lesson about Target Clearing. "First, you touch an object to see what type of target clear is needed." She pointed to a crate next to her. "This crate, for instance, needs the Field Move Crush level 1 to be cleared. Any Pokemon with the Field Move Level 1 Crush can clear this target."

Kate pointed to the Bidoof standing next to Ms. Claire. "An a Bidoof can perform that Target Clear?"

"Exactly." Ms. Claire nodded. "This Bidoof has a level 1 Crush Field Move. So, using your Styler, draw a line from the Bidoof to the crate."

Kate pulled out her Styler and did as she was instructed. The little Bidoof charged at the crate and smashed it into tiny pieces. Then, Kate released it. "Thanks, Bidoof. See you again!"

"After clearing a target, the Pokemon used will run back to where it was originally captured. Each Target has a certain Field Move that must be used to clear it. So, Crush won't work for everything." Ms. Claire told the brown-haired girl. Then, she smiled. "Well, that's about it. If you ever need a review, don't hesitate to come and see me."

"Okay, I will." Kate said.

Rhythmi smiled. "Thank you very much, Ms. Claire." Then. both students headed back outside. "There's one more place I want you to see, Kate. It's right over-"

"Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear!" Janice said from a distance.


	2. Chapter 2

Kate and Rhythmi looked over to where they heard Janice's voice. "Help, someone! Anyone! Catch those Bidoof for me, please!"

They saw a large group of Bidoof running away from Janice, who was standing in the middle of the school yard in a panic. "J-Janice?!" Rhythmi said. "She's having trouble with the Bidoof!" She turned to her friend. "Kate, please! Capture the Bidoof and get them to settle down!"

"On it!" Kate said. But, before she could pull out her School Styler, the girls heard a voice from next to them.

"Heh, I was wondering what the ruckus was all about. This looks like a perfect time that's up for grabs!" said Keith. He was standing in front of the School Building.

Rhythmi glared at him. "Keith! Don't just stand there! You help capture the Bidoof, too!"

Keith rubbed his chin as he thought for a quick moment. "It wouldn't be much fun if I only helped." He pointed at Kate. "New kid! I forgot your name, but I challenge you!"

Kate blinked in confusion. "Challenge me? To what?"

"A Bidoof Catching Contest! It'll be a capture race." Keith ran over to them. "We'll see who can capture the most Bidoof, okay?"

Kate smirked at him. "Ok. I accept your challenge." Her smirked widened. "But, don't cry when you lose."

"Confident, aren't you?" Keith crossed his arms over his chest. But, then, he smiled. "I like that in a rival."

Rhythmi scoffed at Keith. "Can't you make an effort to learn her name, if you're going to be rivals? Ugh, you're so annoying..." She grumbled the last part. Then, she went over to comfort Janice. "You have your silly race, if you want! But, you two better hurry!"

"Alright, then. Let's get to it!" Keith shouted excitedly. Then, he began counting down. "Three! Two! One! GO!"

Kate quickly sprinted after 2 Bidoof and captured them quickly. Then, she ran and caught another one. She stopped to rest a moment, before she saw another Bidoof run by her. "Oh, no, you don't!" She quickly ran over to it and captured it, as well.

Janice smiled as she looked at the Bidoof that Kate and Keith had captured for her. "That's all of them. Thank you very much."

Keith puffed out his chest proudly. "I caught 5 Bidoof. How many did you get, new kid?"

Kate quickly counted hers. She frowned slightly. "...4..."

"Yes! Victory is mine!" Keith quickly did his signature Ranger Pose. Kate pouted and crossed her arms. She hated losing.

Janice noticed this, and stepped in. "You and Keith looked good at it, too, Kate. Of course, I also need to thank Rhythmi for calming me down earlier. Thank you all for this." Janice turned to the Bidoof. "Come along, everyone." The Bidoof followed her in 2 lines, making pokemon noises as they departed.

Keith turned to Kate. "I'd rate your captures around... 65/100." He smirked at Kate's shocked and slightly angered expression. "But, you know... I was surprised by how you did. You're pretty good at this for someone who's just learning how to do it."

Kate nodded. "Thank you." The two shook hands, showing their good sportsmanship.

"You said your name was Kate, right?" Keith asked. "Well, congrats, Kate!"

Rhythmi fell her face get red with anger. "Keith! You knew what her name was this whole time, didn't you?! Oh, for goodness' sake..." she face-palmed herself.

"Hey, Rhythmi. Didn't you say you wanted to show me something before the Bidoof Catching Contest?" Kate remembered.

Rhythmi instantly brightened. "Oh, yeah! That's right!"

"What, you mean Ascension Square?" Keith guessed.

Rhythmi nodded. "Yep. That's right."

"I'll go, too." Keith said.

Rhythmi turned away from him in annoyance. "Oh, all right! I guess you can come along if you really want to." The group ran over to Ascension Square, which was east of the school yard, and then down a flight of stairs.

"This is Ascension Square." Rhythmi sighed as the three students made their way down the stairs. "Next month, there's going to be a special class here; the Outdoor Class."

Kieth pointed to a large stone in the middle of Ascension Square. "That monument is the Pledge Stone."

Rhythmi nodded as they walked over to it. "If you make a firm pledge here with your friends, it will surely come true. That's what Principal Lamont told me." She turned to Kate and smiled brightly. "And, there you have it! That concludes the tour. Kate, I'm glad to have met you."

"Me, too." Kate beamed. "I hope we can be friend for a long time." Rhythmi nodded.

Keith jumped into the conversation. "Hey, hold it now! Don't worry about Rhythmi. Be friends with me, okay?"

Kate giggled. "I can be friends with both of you!"

Suddenly, the bell rang. "Oh, there goes the bell." Keith groaned.

"We'd better get back to class." Rhythmi said.

Then, both Keith and Rhythmi grabbed Kate's hands and said, "Let's go, Kate!" They paused and glared at each other.

"Let go." Keith said simply.

"Why? Wouldn't it look weird for you to walk to class holding Kate's hand?" Rhythmi teased. "People will think you're in love with her."

Both Keith and Kate blushed at Rhythmi's comment. Keith slowly dropped Kate's hand and decided to just walk next to her. He shoved his hands in his pockets and grumbled, blushing furiously.

Later on, during class, Kate couldn't really concentrate. She was too flustered by what Rhythmi had said at the Pledge Stone.

_"People will think you're in love with her."_

Taking a chance, Kate glanced over at Keith. He was asleep, much to Kate's surprise and amusement. 'How could he be sleepy after such an exciting day?' she wondered. She didn't even realize that she had been staring at him until Ms. April called on her.

"M-ma'am?" Kate blushed in embarrassment.

"Please, try and pay attention, Kate."

"Yes, ma'am." Kate nodded. She made sure not to look at Keith for the rest of class. But, it didn't mean she didn't think about him.

Later on that night, the girls and boys were in their respective dorms. Rhythmi looked over at Kate. "Kate, do you write letters?"

"Yeah. Why?" Kate asked her friend.

Rhythmi smiled. "I was thinking of writing to my mother and father about you."

Kate looked pleasantly shocked. "Really? Cause I already wrote to my little sister about what all happened today."

"Really?" Rhythmi giggled. "I hope your sister replies soon."

"Me, too." Kate said. She went over to her dresser to change out of her school uniform, but Rhythmi stopped her.

"Hey, Kate. Let's sneak out for a while."

"Um... ok."

The girls quickly and quietly snuck out of their dorm and over to one of the large tables in the hallway. They walked over to Keith and some other classmates

"Thanks for waiting." Rhythmi said to Keith.

Keith fumed, "Yeah, kept us waiting, Rhythmi."

Rhythmi, however, simply waved him off. "Okay, let's begin our test of courage to welcome Kate." Everyone but Kate cheered softly, as not to wake Janice and ruin everything.

"Test of courage?" Kate questioned, clearly confused.

Keith gave her a smile. "We just want you to prove that you're brave. It's kind of a Ranger School tradition." He pointed to himself proudly. "I had to do it before, too, but it was no big deal for me."

He saw the spooked look on Kate's face and visibly humbled. "But, hey, you don't have to have that easily spooked look on your face. No offense."

"The rules are simple." Rhythmi said, placing a hand on Kate's shoulder. "The four of us - me, Keith, Corry, and Elana - have hidden our stylers in four different places in the school. Ms. April's class, Mr. Kincaid's class, the Staff Room, and the Library.

"Once you find them all, put them in front of the door to the basement room. It's really easy, but it's not safe to go alone." Rhythmi held up a finger. "That's why we have this one added rule: the student seated next to the initiate has to go along with them."

Keith flinched. "Wait..." He turned to Rhythmi while pointing at himself. "I have to go?!"

"Shh! Yes, Keith." She whispered harshly. Then, in the blink of an eye, she changed from angry to happy. "Ok, you two. Off you go." she waved them off to begin the test.

Kate and Keith shared a glance before heading downstairs.


	3. Chapter 3

Once the two students made it downstairs, Keith let out a terrified wail of fear. Kate turned and looked at him. "Keith? What's -"

"T-t-there's something there! I saw it!" He shrieked. He ran a little ways back to the stairs leading up to the dorms.

Kate looked ahead of them and saw a small Bidoof in the middle of the hallway. "That's just a Bidoof, Keith..."

After giving the Pokemon a second look, Keith came back down the stairs to stand next to Kate. "Oh... you're right." He straightened his back, trying to appear tough. "It just startled me, is all. Y-you were spooked, too, right?" He looked at her, hoping she would agree.

Kate shook her head. "Nope. Not one bit." she smiled as Keith pouted at her. "Come on, let's get started on this test."

The two headed toward the Library first. Kate looked around until her eyes landed on the far back table. "There it is!" She whispered to Keith as she pulled on his sleeve.

Keith looked and saw the Styler, as well. "You're right. Let's go get it." Before Kate could stop him, Keith ran right into a crate. He grumbled angrily as he got up and rubbed his sore mid-section. "Ha... Forgot about the obstacles..."

After capturing some Bidoof and clearing the crates, Kate and Keith made it to the back table. Kate quickly picked up the School Styler. "Well, this really _is _easy!" Kate beamed.

Keith smirked. "Don't worry. It'll get harder soon enough." He shoved his hands into his pockets before following close behind Kate as she ran to the Staff Room.

When they entered the Staff Room, they saw a little Pichu holding Corry's Styler. "Alright. Let's do this!" Keith began to chase the Pichu around the room. Kate watched in amusement for a bit before intervening.

"Keith, if you're done playing 'Ring Around the Rosie,' we've got a Styler to recover." Kate quickly launched into a Capture when the Pichu ran by her. After a few loops, she had captured it. The Pichu quickly handed over the Styler and ran off. "Good-bye." Kate waved to it.

"2 more left." Keith reminded her. "Let's go."

"Which class should we got to first?" Kate asked as they walked down the hallway.

Keith thought for a moment, then smirked. "Let's go to Mr. Kincaid's." Then, he grabbed her hand. "and, let's run there."

Kate smirked back at him. "Why, Keith. I didn't know you were such a troublemaker." she said jokingly. Nonetheless, she ran alongside him until they reached the door to Mr. Kincaid's class.

Keith chuckled. "Well... that seemed a lot more fun in my head."

Kate smiled and flicked his tie. "It was fun enough... Let's get that Styler."

Rhythmi's Styler was on the back shelf. Kate ran past the multiple Pokemon in the class, narrowly avoiding a Zubat, and grabbed the Styler. Kate and Keith quickly made their way to their own classroom next door.

When they entered the classroom, they saw that there was a large crate by Ms. April's desk. "That must be where the Styler is." Kate quickly used a target Clear on it, and picked it up.

Keith sighed in relief. "Okay. That's the last one. Let's take them down to the basement and get this over with."

Kate raised an eyebrow at him. "Keith, don't tell me you're scared..."

"What? Of course not!" Keith chuckled. Then, he took her by the wrist and pulled her out of the classroom. "I'm just ready to go back to sleep, is all."

While they walked to the basement, Kate blushed as she noticed Keith hadn't let go of her wrist yet. Keith noticed as well and quickly dropped her wrist. "S-sorry..." he turned away from her.

They entered the basement and saw 2 crates blocking their way. "Hang on." Keith left and came back with a Bidoof to perform Crush on it. Once they went through, Kate quickly captured a Zubat to perform a level 1 Cut on a wood fence.

Finally, the two were able to get to the door. Before Kate could set the Stylers, a strange noise sounded. Keith began shaking slightly. "H-h-hey, Kate... Have you been hearing anything? L-like weird noises?"

Kate nodded. "Yeah..."

Keith helped Kate set the Stylers down. "Once we're done, we can go back up to the dorms." He looked over at Kate. "But, let's hurry, okay? I can't take much more of this..."

Kate nodded. The strange noise was heard again. Keith shushed her and looked around. "There it was again..."

Suddenly, 4 Gastly appeared before them, making the two students jump back in fear. "AHHHHH!" Kate and Keith clung to each other as they screamed. The Ghost Pokemon quickly pounced at Kate, forcing her to Capture them. She quickly drew loops around them, even though she was still shaking and holding onto Keith's arm.

After releasing them, both students sighed. Then, seeing that they were so close, Keith and Kate quickly moved a bit away from each other. "Uh..." Kate stammered.

"G-glad it was just some Gastly..." Keith chuckled.

"WHO'S THERE?!" a loud voice shouted. Kate and Keith turned around to see Mr. Kincaid, fuming. He advanced toward them. "The basement is off-limits to everyone but myself!"

"Run for it!" Keith shouted as they ran back to the dorms.

Inside the basement room, Issac worked on some machines until he heard Mr. Kincaid come back into the room. "Is something the matter, sir?" he asked, worried.

"No, it's fine." Mr. Kincaid sighed. He plopped down in a chair. "Just a Zubat causing a ruckus in the hallway." He glanced at his assistant. "Incidentally, was that experiment a success?"

Issac answered, "It's impossible to say yet. The control systems aren't complete, but that's only a matter of adjustment."

Mr. Kincaid smiled. "Issac. I'm counting on you to succeed, okay?" he put his hand on the blonde boy's shoulder. "But, it's late. That's quite enough research tonight. Insufficient sleep should be avoided."

Issac nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll return to my dorm, then." As he left, he called back, "Good night, Mr. Kincaid." Mr. Kincaid nodded to him, and went to work on a computer.

Meanwhile, Kate and Keith were catching their breath on the stairs. Keith laughed. "That was exciting."

"That was scary, is what it was!" Kate playfully swatted Keith in the arm. "What if Mr. Kincaid rats us out?"

Keith put his arm over her shoulders. "Oh, it'll be fine, Kay. Relax."

Kate looked at him. "'Kay?'"

"Yeah. It's your nickname for me." Keith grinned at her. "Do you like it? Can I call you 'Kay'?"

Kate couldn't fight the blush that crept over her face. She tilted her head down and shrugged a little. "I-I guess..."

"Good." Keith let his arm drop from her shoulders and left for the dorms. He turned back toward her, raising an eyebrow. "You coming, Kay?" Kate quickly nodded and followed him upstairs.


End file.
